Nuestro Howard de cada día

Nuestro Gary de cada día

Nuestro Robbie de cada día

Nuestro Jason de cada día

Nuestro Mark de cada día

"Take That, the first video" documentary preview

On 21st June 1991 an unknown Take That filmed the video for their debut single at Vector Television in Stockport. This preview from the upcoming documentary about Take That's early days features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and an interview with Stockport based producer/director Rosemary Barratt about the making of the video.

Time Out London interview

Take That are about to wow London on their biggest and boldest tour yet, arriving at Wembley Stadium on June 30 2011 for eight shows. But will this tour also be their last? Time Out's editor corners them in Dublin's Croke Park Stadium to find out…

They'd have you believe, would Take That, that this is all normal, run of the mill. Just a group of friends, backstage, about to play a concert. Just, you know, hanging out. One of them, Mark, is busy making pasta for two of the others, Howard and Robbie. Gary is making a business call, Jason smiling for a photo. Robbie's wife, Ayda, is there, and two of their eight dogs are running around the place. Just a group of friends, spending time together. Except this is Croke Park, Dublin, capacity 77,000, and this is the biggest tour Britain and Ireland have ever seen.

Some facts and figures about Take That's 'Progress' tour: 1.76 million people in UK and Ireland will see them perform live this summer. The band will play a record-breaking eight nights at Wembley Stadium. That record was previously held by Michael Jackson, who played seven nights there on his 1988 'Bad' world tour. Two hundred and eighty-seven people are on the road at all times with an extra 160 local crew in each city. The show and performance are so elaborate, so detailed, that in an empty stadium, it takes 48 hours to build the stage and set. At each date, a field kitchen is constructed where 14 chefs and catering staff prepare more than 1,100 restaurant-quality meals per day. Oh yeah, and on the stage with them is a huge robot which has been given the nickname of 'Om'. Om is 20 metres high and weighs 25 tonnes. It took 14 weeks to build him.

As Dublin is about to find out, in four and a half hours' time, this tour is taller, wider, camper, more roboty and, yes, way bigger than any we've ever seen. Now, you did remember to get yourself a ticket, didn't you?

Incredibly, when it's all over, this tour probably won't be remembered for its hugeness. Instead, it will be remembered primarily for being 'the tour that Robbie Williams was on'. Robbie rejoined the band officially in 2010, some 15 years after leaving the group ('I was sacked, I didn't leave,' he will protest later onstage) for, at first, a period hanging out with Oasis, then rehab, then a series of huge-selling singles and albums, then more rehab, then a flop album followed swiftly by a pledge to stop touring for good. One constant theme throughout this whole period was Williams's disregard for, or, at times, downright loathing of, his time in the band. He'd tell the audience at the Brit Awards that he'd always been the talented one of the group. He'd perform the band's biggest hit, 'Back for Good', on his solo tours as an aggressive, confrontational, thrash hate song. While sitting on a motorised toilet. It's a wonder Take That wanted him back at all, but they did and the resulting album, 'Progress', is their best one yet, and ended up being the bestselling album in the UK last year. But Williams's history of live-show burn-out in his solo career made a tour of 'Progress' seem unlikely.

So how did they get to this point? What happens now? And why the hell can't Howard Donald and Robbie Williams make their own bloody pasta?

At just after 4pm, Mark Owen walks into the friends-and-family lounge beneath Ireland's biggest sporting venue. Mark is softly spoken, fragile and badly burnt by the press fallout from things that happened on the last Take That tour. In March last year he admitted to multiple one-night stands on the band's 2009 tour, 'The Circus'. In an interview with The Sun, he blamed his heavy 'party boy' drinking for the affairs. He checked in to rehab the next day. Mark is married with two young children. Personally he's been through a tough time. Professionally it's a different story.

He was often a creative bystander in the group's early-'90s boy-band days, but the reformed Take That now feels as though it is largely formed around Mark's lyrical themes, imaginative ideas and outlandish performances. He plays a leading role in a band he was once a pretty-boy frontman for, but appears to still have insecurities about his position. He also thinks way too much about stuff. All of this combined makes him a cautious interviewee.

When you were all planning this tour, what did you want to achieve? What questions did you ask yourselves?
'We just wanted a tour that did justice to the reunion, to Robbie playing with us again. But how do you play it? Do we sing on Robbie's solo songs? Does he sing on the songs we've made as a foursome? It wasn't easy.'

How is Robbie dealing with being back? The rumours had it that he didn't want to tour at all…
'It's great to see him perform with such passion. Because speaking to him a year and a half ago, you'd get the impression that he wouldn't do it. He thought he wouldn't be able to get on stage again. He'd fallen out of love with it all. The spark's back, he's bouncing around. We feel so blessed that he's back with us - it's such a joyful thing, it really is.'

Certain aspects of your behaviour on the last Take That tour have been well documented since. How are things different this time around?
'Well I've been going home a lot! I've been doing the shows then going home to see my kids. I never did that before. I always thought that the mentality was “When you go on tour, you go on tour”. I've realised now that it doesn't have to be like that. Life needn't be that one way or another. So we finish here in Dublin tomorrow then I go home for a few days. I don't feel as disconnected from my family now. When we're doing the dates and I'm off-stage I just spend a lot of my time on my own being quiet. Our head chef guy is teaching me some recipes too, so I'm cooking stuff most nights.'

And the temptations you succumbed to after shows previously - how do you pull yourself away from them now? What's replaced them?
'Green & Blacks organic milk chocolate! The world when you drink is different to when you don't. So different. There are different habits when you drink. I would come off stage and start drinking. Just head to the bar. That's what everyone does when they finish the show. Then you realise you don't need to go to the bar. You just don't need to go there.'

Were the tabloid revelations the thing that made you stop?
'They'd already stopped, to be honest. [Goes very quiet] It's difficult to talk about all of this...'

I understand…
'[Interrupting] I don't know whether you do understand because I have a wife and two kids and actually it's nobody's fucking business. My wife will read this interview, and her friends will. And we've dealt with it. I don't want to make her feel sick again, you know? Because I did make her feel sick and she's just starting to not feel sick after a year and a half and… [Starts welling up] I don't want to make her feel sick any more. I feel the most peaceful I have ever felt. I'm the luckiest… [Trails off].

'This tour for me is a lovely cap on it all. I'm not looking beyond this, at this moment in time, not with the band. It's a chance to say thank you to 1.8 million people, thank you for sticking by us through the last 20 years for all our shit, these five fucking idiots, because that's what we are are, all our shit that we've gone through they've stuck by us. Then I want to go home and spend some time with my kids and my wife and look after them for a bit.'

You were about to say how lucky you feel. Is this because you realise that you could have lost all of that?
'You realise none of this is worth anything without them. None of it. If I don't have them… there's no point to any of it.'

Have they been out on tour with you?
'They came to Sunderland. My wife is coming out for virtually all of the European leg too. Elwood watched his first show, Willow watched half. Elwood loved the robot!'

What happens after this? You make it sound, with some of the things you say, that this is you bowing out?
'I don't know. I don't know. In my head at the moment… I just want to get through this at the moment. If there's stuff that we can do, we'll do it. If something happens that means there's a reason to carry on we will. If we come up with songs we think people will want to hear we'll do them. If someone comes up with an idea that's about putting money in the bank then no…'

How's the next year of your life panning out in your head?
'The mind's a funny thing. I hear it in my head sometimes: “What are you going to do when this tour finishes? Gary's got 'The X Factor', Robbie's got a solo record, what about you? You're gonna get left behind again?” I hear that voice. And I go: “No, I'm not.” I'm going to enjoy myself, I'm going to take my time. One of the hardest things to do is nothing. That's what I'm going to try and do when this tour ends. Nothing. Achieve nothing.'

The band's security guard comes to fetch Mark. He's needed elsewhere.

'I'm sorry for snapping at you,' he says, then adds quietly: 'Sorry if I offended you.'

Gary Barlow wanders into the room. He starts talking about Owen, unaware of what we've just been discussing.

'Look at him, still trying to hog the headlines! Mark - the head judge is here!'

It's 4.45pm now, the doors to the stadium have just opened and Gary Barlow is already talking about the thing Time Out was told he wouldn't be talking about - his new role as head judge on 'The X Factor'. Mark leaves for his tenth fag of the day and his fourth coffee.

Gary Barlow is a whole different ball game to Mark Owen. Louder, more self-assured and patently not someone who overthinks anything. 'I leave that to Mark,' he says, quite correctly. Seen as the controlling, creative figure in the band in their early days, a role which meant he bore the brunt of Robbie's ire in his time away from the band, Barlow has relaxed into a far more democratic role. But it is still his band really, and with his boundless energy and inability to stress about any of the madness Barlow is an important figure in a group full of eccentrics. Life hasn't always been peachy - when his solo career fell apart in the late '90s he turned to drugs and suffered from depression. But it's this tough time that has made him so determined to enjoy every second of his renaissance. Including taking on a second role as a primetime ITV1 judge. Talking of which, and seeing as how he brought up the subject…

Throughout much of this tour you've been judging 'The X Factor' contestants during the day and singing live at night and you seem to be dealing with it…
'Workwise, they're pretty tough those days, but from a mental situation - which I'm often driven by - as I'd sit there on the helicopter being taken from “The X Factor” to a gig, I think: This is life at the top; this is as big as it gets. You won't find me complaining about that 'cos I know what it's like to be out of work with nobody interested in you, and it's shit.'

Apparently you're the tough-guy judge?
'Apparently I am! I don't know how it comes across but if they're no good I'll say I'm not interested. But I'm going to be tough on everyone, especially the acts I'll be looking after. 'Cos it's serious, this. It's bloody hard to make a living in music and I don't want to dress it up for anybody. Our responsibility is to mentor these people properly and we put through the ones that not only deserve a place but are also mentally prepared to take it on. They're plucked from nowhere, they're put into this spotlight - and “The X Factor” spotlight is bigger than any other. You see the slightest sign that they can't deal with that… well, you can't use them.'

Reports at the time of the Manchester gigs alleged that your female fans were getting so drunk they were becoming a burden on the city's ambulance services. Your fans are all drunkards: fair or unfair?
'I looked around and there were a few lairy people at those Manchester gigs. They come for a good night out and however they want to conduct themselves, well, it's up to them, really. I'm not bothered - as long as they're not causing too much trouble, not hurting one another, I'm fine with whatever they do.'

It has a knock-on effect though, doesn't it? Police in Glasgow are now saying that if your fans get drunk at the gig then try and get on a train home they could be arrested.
'Really? [Laughs] Right, well I hope they've extra staff on.'

Everyone was expecting Robbie to choke at some point. How has he been?
'Amazing. Never seen him like this before.'

Were you worried he'd change his mind?
'I was at the very start. 'Cos he did change his mind a couple of times! The touring was always the icing on the cake. We thought: If we can get this album done and away - great. Then if we tour… well, that would be amazing. And Robbie was just not looking forward to doing it on tour. He liked being with us and enjoyed spending time with us but the tour side of it seemed like a no-no. He has issues with the touring thing because of what happened before. Self-doubt and the rest. But there's been no issues at all. Me and Mark watch him every night do his solo bit from the side of the stage and we say, “Well, we've done our job here.”'

Gary is a little bit more sure on what his plans will be over the next year and a half. But his plans don't feature a new Take That album. He'll be producing Robbie's next solo album, performing a Children in Need concert in November, then in 2012 he's musical director for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee gig ('I'd prefer it with the band, but if it turns out they don't want to do it I'll do something on my own'). And he has his eye on a slot at the Olympics closing ceremony ('If asked, we'll do it'). Something tells me they'll ask.

Howard pops in to the lounge for a quick chat. The oldest of the band, and a father of two, Howard was recruited primarily for his dancing skills, but his singing on fan favourite 'Never Forget' and tracks on their more recent albums have meant he's increasingly been regarded as a lead vocalist in his own right. Howard is sure about his plans for the next 18 months: he's going to learn to fly a plane.

'I'm going to be doing my private pilot's licence. I ordered a plane last year' - he announces this with all the casualness of someone telling you which toppings they plumped for on their pizza - 'from America, and it's an amphibious plane so it can land on water and land. That doesn't arrive until 2013, so I've got to learn how to fly one before it arrives! It's always been one of my ambitions to fly a plane. Can't wait.'

The concert that night is a triumph. It's a spectacle unlike any other the country has seen. Even Om the robot - who is supposed to unfurl to his full height as the show progresses - works, and he has been temperamental on five dates already (including one memorable night in Manchester when Howard got stuck on top of him and had to be rescued by ladder). Dubliners go home happy. I go back to London, where the tour is heading now. Wembley, Gary makes clear, isn't just another date. Or eight dates. It's the ultimate date.

'You enjoy the hometown gigs, the Irish gigs, all of them,' he says. 'But I think as a venue Wembley is the one everyone dreams of. As a kid the TV show you would dream of was “Top of the Pops”, and the gig you would dream of was Wembley Stadium.'

But is it the end? Almost certainly not, but no one is giving me concrete evidence that plans for the future are being made. Maybe they're just too shattered (and exhilarated) to make plans. The only pattern emerging is of a group of people unable to see how they can top what they're doing now. And, frankly, how can they?

Fuente: TimeOutLondon

Especial Take That en la revista Time out London

As always, you can get hold of Time Out's brilliant street posters. This week it's Take That and you can buy a special Time Out/Take That set (street poster and subscriber edition cover, with minimal coverlines) for just £10 including postage and packaging. Order now - but hurry, there's only a limited edition of these

She cancelled their wedding to go see Take That

that's what I call a fan !


A DIEHARD Take That fan who cancelled her wedding to see the band perform in Brum was devastated – after her tickets never turned up.

Debbie Pickett, 38, paid for two seats for the £50 million Progress Tour gig at Villa Park as soon as the dates were announced last autumn.

In December boyfriend Tony Huxley, 34, popped the question and set about planning a summer register office wedding for Tuesday June 28.

But the hubby-to-be was stunned when mum-of-three Debbie announced: “We can’t get wed then. It’s the same day that Take That are playing Villa Park!”

The couple cancelled their plans, and started looking for another date later in the year.

“He couldn’t quite believe it,” said Debbie, who lives with Tony in Clifton Campville, near Tamworth, Staffordshire.

“I just knocked him straight back. There was absolutely no way I could miss seeing Gary, Howard, Mark, Jason and Robbie.

“He had sorted out the wedding and pretty mucharranged everything – so it was a big decision.

“But I went to see them at Wembley in 2009 and it was amazing. There was no way I was missing them in Birmingham.

“I did say I’d marry him in the morning and go to see them at night, but he said he would rather just wait.”

Debbie bought the £85-a-time tickets from BLC Event Tickets, an online company whose website she had used in the past to go and see other bands in concert.

But last week she got an e-mail from the firm saying that they had been let down by a supplier – and could no longer provide the seats she had bought.

“Gutted is not the word,” said unemployed Debbie, who suffers from depression. “It is so upsetting. I have been looking forward to it for ages. I postponed my wedding!
Take That ticket agony for Tamworth woman who cancelled wedding to see Jason, Mark, Robbie, Howard and Gary - Sunday Mercury

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Nuestra bandera en el backstage

Estas fotos son capturas correspondientes al video de Manchester de la aplicación TT progress para iphone.

Howard, aterriza como puedas

Take That Howard Donald: Relight my flyer | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre

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"I hope we managed to keep you warm..." | RobbieWilliams.com

"I hope we managed to keep you warm..." | RobbieWilliams.com

Take That tour t-shirt to raise money for Comic Relief

The iconic Smiley Company has teamed up with Comic Relief to create a special ‘Happy Now’; Take That tour t-shirt to raise money for Comic Relief.
Nicolas Loufrani (CEO of The Smiley Company) said: "We’re really proud to have donated the use of our image to the ‘Happy Now’ Take That t-shirts because all the profits from the sale of this t-shirt will go straight to Comic Relief where they can spend it helping the people that need it most."

The t-shirt will be sold during the Take That summer tour.

The ‘Smiley’ company is home to one of the most recognisable symbols in the world. The original Smiley brand was born on January 1st 1972 with the ‘take time to smile’ promotion in French newspaper ‘France Soir’. The Smiley logo was used to highlight all good news so people could choose to read positive and uplifting articles.

40 years on the logo is now the symbol for a globally recognized brand and has enjoyed worldwide success with extensive licensing partnerships.

In 1997, Nicolas Loufrani launched the brand ‘SmileyWorld’ by creating variations of the original Smiley developing expressive characters and promoting the universal language of the ‘emoticon’. Today the company has thousands of different icons and characters.

10% of all royalties will go to charity through the Smiley World Association, which was formed in 2005 to help people in need by setting up health and educational infrastructures in third world countries.

Fuente: The Drum

Gary Barlow : the perfect choice for X Factor

JLS have praised the choice of Gary Barlow to replace Simon Cowell on The X Factor this year, saying that the decision will make the show “bigger and bigger” when it returns in the autumn. Speaking to OK! magazine last week, JLS also revealed they loved Cheryl’s accent – despite it being blamed for her US flop!


“I think her accent is incredible, we love Geordie girls,” Marvin said. Oritsé added: “Her accent is very sexy.”

On the new line up, Aston raved: “Gary Barlow is, for me, a perfect choice. He’s been there, he’s done it, he’s still doing it now.

“I don’t think there is a person in the music industry right now who could give more advice to people going through a show that intense. It’s just going to get bigger and bigger, as it does every year anyway.”

Meanwhile Marvin revealed he and his Saturdays girlfriend Rochelle Wiseman fight over which films to watch when relaxing at home!

He said: “I’ve got no choice in the matter. It’s always chick flicks. If I want to watch my man films, I watch them when she’s not around. We don’t get a lot of time to spend together and watch films, so we like to watch something that we’re both going to enjoy.”

JLS are set to release their third album in the autumn.


Fuente: Tellymix

How much do you know about the lads?: Take That Quiz!!

How much do you know about the most successful boy band in the country today – Take That?

Test your knowledge of Gary, Robbie, Mark, Jason and Howard with the Express & Star’s Take That quiz.

Take the Test!

Fuente: Express & Star

Review of Take That live at Glasgow

The heavens opened as Take That bounded onto the stage at Hampden Park but no-one in the 50,000 strong crowd cared.

Despite the almighty downpour the band minus Robbie beamed sunshine with a rousing rendition of Rule The World.

Gary Barlow echoed everyone's sentiments at the start of Greatest Day as he said: "Good evening Glasgow. It's raining but we couldn't care less. What a beautiful night."

Twenty years ago, almost to the day, Take That began their first ever tour in a Scots nightclub.
Gary joked: "Twenty years ago we were nothing."

Pyrotechnics lit up the stage during Hold Up The Light but the boys were on fire already.

Jason said: "Some of you might know this or not. Our very first tour when we were 18 a 19 was in Glasgow when we did a little club. We stayed in a hotel room and it was our first time away from mum and dad."

Mark led the crowd into a rendition of Flower of Scotland to put a smile on Robbie's face backstage before the four sang Patience.

A carnival of colour with bees, butterflies, trees and a rabbit made for an Alice In Wonderland styled set for Shine with Mark on lead vocals riding a caterpillar and Gary at a twisted piano.

And then it was Robbie who fell onto the stage from above.

Let Me Entertain You he sang passionately as he splashed through the water-coated stage and instructed: "Hampden, bounce!"

Thousands of feet leapt into the air and screamed as Robbie asked: "Glasgow can you feel me, can you hear me? Hampden where's my roar?"

During Rock DJ, he showed off his naughty side as he put his hands down his pants and played with his bottom.

He summed up his joy saying: "I've come home. Scotland I want to be your son."

Robbie also referred to bandmate Howard Donald's former super-injunction rhyming: "I did some coke and slept with a whore, that's what a superinjinction is for."

He urged: "Put the English to shame and sing up for the lads."

And then he joked :"You can study Shakespeare and be quite elite or you can come from Possilpark and just p*** in the street.

"Which one's fat, which one's gay? My money's on Jay."

Robbie then apologised to any "little ones" for turning the air blue during his excitement.

Songs like Strong showed off his powerhouse of vocals before he wrapped a saltire round his neck and disappeared through the stage.

Shaolin monks welcomed back the bands as a fivepiece to sing The Flood at the top of a giant waterfall.

As the band abseiled down to the stage Gary said of his reassembled group: "This is progress ladies and gents."

A medley of new songs marked the most recent album and a dance off between Jason and Howard during Kids with Gary and Robbie presiding as judges and Mark mediating.

For an old fashioned singalong round the piano Mark sang the Proclaoimers 500 Miles while Gary made everyone forget how cold they were with A Million Love songs.

Mark's rendition of Babe also got everyone feeling nostalgic while Back for Good and Pray sealed the deal.

Love Love bought the sound back up to date before classic Never Forget and No Regrets.


The clothes might have been damp though but all the fires were relit.

Fuente: DailyRecord

The TT power

Why Take That can do things to women that their husbands can’t

This week Scotland’s men have been puzzled by the sight their sensible women go daft in anticipation of seeing someone called Robbie and his friends

The excitement had been building for weeks. Take That fans had been counting down the slow days until the gates finally opened at Hampden for last night’s show.

Women of all ages had been caught up in the fever – ordinary mums and wives transformed by degrees into hysterical screaming fans. The boys are in town and nothing is going to stop the Take That party.

And the girls weren’t disappointed. Apart from the non-stop downpour that had even the most die-hard fashionistas hiding under shapeless ponchos, the roller-coaster of female fun left fans thrilled and wanting more.

From the first sight of the boys – Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Gary Barlow – bounding onto the stage for Rule The World, they were hooked. After such a long wait, it was happening.

The women threw their pink cowboy hats into the air, yelled and cheered, sang and danced, waved their arms and hugged strangers. When Robbie Williams did his solo, they were enthralled – screaming back at him, whooping when he said: “Scotland, I still wish I was your son.”

And when he kicked off with Let Me Entertain You, every woman just knew he was singing especially for them. He has that affect. How do I know? Because I was one of those women – and I know that a wet Wednesday in Glasgow was a tiny bit of dream-come-true.

But what do these five men have that gives them the ability to cast a spell over ordinary women. It’s not because they’re good looking and fit, although they are. Even Gary. It’s not even because they were on a million teenage bedroom walls. It’s something else.

These 40-something year old men grew up with us. They started out as a not particularly cool boy band, made up of the kind of awkward but nice lads you could take home to your mum. Last night they poked some fun at this with a jokey squabble about whether or not they were a pop group or a boy band.

On the way to becoming a man band, they’ve fallen out then made up, got things spectacularly wrong but apologised then made things better, and through it all not lost that essential niceness. Even, you, Robbie - nice enough to take back for tea.

And when they put on a world-class show with 20 metre robots, fireworks and spectacular costumes, underneath you know they’re still five lads who can’t quite believe they’ve done so well.

That's their secret, they might have the huge glitzy show, millions in the bank, and fans around the world, but they still turned out in the pouring rain and remembered to say thanks for buying a ticket.

Thanks boys, you re-lit our fires and we are delighted you're back for good.

As one fan, Annie Boyd put it: “I have no voice, I'm soaked to the bone, I queued for 45mins for a train but I had THE best night ever with Take That.”

Fuente: STV

Robbie 'has life-defining-experience at take that gig'

Robbie Williams has revealed that he has a 'life-defining’ experience when Take That played in Dublin on Sunday.

The 37-year-old singer admitted that he had been feeling 'jaded' before taking to the stage as part of the band's Progress Live tour, but said that the 'overwhelming' good feeling from the crowd did something strange to him.

Taking to his blog, he wrote, "Oh my lord... Ireland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What did you do to me on Sunday night? I gave everything I had on Saturday and as expected your performance was better than mine... (only just).

"So much so that it was with a bit of trepidation that I made my way back to Croke Park the next day feeling a little jaded and drained from the night before... (such high highs there has to be a come down....). But I wasn't expecting what came next.

"I proper lost my s**t. The overwhelming good will, love, smiles, happiness, approval and acceptance beaming straight to the stage transformed me from preening peacock prima donna showman to a ball of mush within seconds.

"It was so powerful that I didn't know if I was going to be able to collect myself... proper floored.

"There's a tear in my eye thinking about it now. Yes, the gigs have ranged from brilliant to religious every night. But Sunday night (at) Croke Park was life defining. It will stay with me for as long as I live. Ireland I bow to you."

Fuente: Musicrooms.net

Take That working on new material

Mark Owen says the group have started writing new songs.

Take That have already started working on new material.

'The Flood' group have released their last full album, 'Progress' in November last year, and followed it up with mini album 'Progressed' this month, but singer Mark Owen said they have already started working on even more songs.

He told the Daily Record newspaper: "We've done a few new tracks that over the last year we've been working on."

He added that the group - which also features Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Robbie Williams and Howard Donald - are currently focussed on their 'Progress Live 2011' European tour, which they have been planning since early 2010 - even before Robbie had announced he was rejoining them.

He added: "Even before the record was out, the stage designs were coming through. The show has been in planning and production stages for about 10 months.

"We started with the set list and the songs we wanted to play, we spent a day just talking about them before throwing ideas into a bag and putting a show together.

"There hasn't been a week since that we haven't been in rehearsals. It's brilliant and I'm really proud of what we've achieved."

Fuente: Musicrooms.net

New content in the TT Progress App

There is new exclusive content available in the TT Progress App

Best tweet ever!

@cstanworth_TT:

#PROGRESSLIVE like being on drugs, your really happy and then the next day your really low cause you want to go back! :(

Progress Live DVD to be filmed in Wembley

More Wembley tickets released for Progress Live

On Wednesday 30th June, Progress Live pulls into Wembley Stadium for a record-breaking eight nights - the most ever played by an act in the stadium's history.


We are delighted to reveal that filming for the tour DVD will take place over the first three nights at Wembley and extra seats, which are usually restricted view, have just been released for fans to be part of the audience. These seats will have full view of the B stage and have a specially installed video screen to capture the entire show. Tickets for these three nights are priced at £29.50 and £39.50 and go on sale from 9am on Friday 17th June.

There are also a limited number of full price tickets available for all the Wembley dates.

From tomorrow at 9am, click on the link of your choice below to get your tickets:

Gigs And Tours / See Tickets / Ticketmaster / Ticketline / Ticket Factory

Fuente: Take That

Eight letters - Manchester 04/06/11

Progressed

Drunk Take That ladies at Progress Tour shows ‘worse than football fans’

More than 100 women had to be admitted to A&E because they got so drunk at the Take That concerts.

The number of people treated at Manchester Royal Infirmary jumped dramatically on six of the band's eight dates at Eastlands – with doctors blaming the gigs.

And the MEN can reveal that 65 drink-sozzled women were thrown out of the City of Manchester stadium by stewards - with a further 35 men being the worse for wear.

One steward said the women behaved worse than football fans. It is understood that the majority of the patients brought into the MRI were women aged in their 30s and 40s.

They were mainly treated for alcohol-related injuries, such as ankle sprains. But some of the most serious cases included alcohol poisoning and broken wrists.

Doctors had to treat about 160 extra patients on the concert dates – or 27 per day, stretching hospital resources.

This works out to be roughly a 10 per cent increase in the number of people taken to accident and emergency compared to the same period last year.

Dr Steve Jones, the MRI's clinical director of emergency services, said: “We saw an increase from people who’d been at the Take That concerts.”

A steward at Eastlands said: “I have worked at lots of concerts and some of the drunkenness was unbelievable. Some women were slumped in their seats barely able to walk. It was way worse than a football match.” Almost half a million people watched the group over eight nights. Ten concert-goers - six women and four men - were arrested in or near the ground.

Police confirmed they received 22 reports of crime in or near the ground before, during and after the concerts. Among those crimes reported were five public order offences, three assaults, one sexual assault and a number of thefts. The accusation of sexual assault came from a female member of security staff who reported she had been groped by a concert-goer.

The report of an assault was made by a woman who reported she was beaten around the head by a man after she had tried to jump a queue for the male toilet. She was not seriously hurt.

Police had asked licensed premises around the ground not to sell alcohol to concert-goers to prevent trouble. They all abided by the request. Alcohol was still on sale inside the ground.

Senior police say the booze ban outside the stadium prevented more trouble.

Insp Mike Coombes said: “A small minority of fans were able to drink to excess to the extent that they spoiled the evening for other fans attending the concert.

“I would expect a small minority to behave poorly and to have to deal with that. But I would say that over all the number of incidents and arrests are what we would have anticipated for a pop concert of this size.

“We're pleased with the policing operation and we are grateful for our partners in the licensing trade for working with us to help to reduce the amount of alcohol fans drink.”

Fuente: MEN

Robbie to go back to solo career after Take That tour?

Those with Take That tickets may not get another chance to see the band perform as a five-piece as Robbie Williams could decide to return to his solo career.

Robbie rejoined the band last year after his departure back in 1995 and the current Progress Live tour is the first time all the original members of the band have toured together in 16 years.

But it is not yet clear what the singer's plans will be after the tour ends, with the band's Mark Owen hinting in an interview that it is likely he still wants to perform as a solo act.

"I think the place that we are at now, I think Rob is looking at, he's going to be doing something himself, hopefully in the next year," he told the Irish Independent.

"He has it in him, he wants to do his own thing and it's a massive part of him. So I think he'll be looking at doing his own stuff."

Take That's next UK gig takes place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff tomorrow night (June 14th).

Fuente: Viagogo

The Madness of Take That

Although Mark Owen and Gary Barlow's personal lives are supposed to be off the agenda in favour of talking about Take That's latest block-busting tour, Mark's first sober tour, Julia Molony finds that the demons that stalk Take That are never far from the surface. But this boyband of family men have largely found a way to deal with it, by relentlessly taking the mickey

Gary Barlow and Mark Owen are holed up in a conference room of a west London office. And although they are surrounded by all of the promotional juggernaut that travels everywhere with Take That these days, it's a rather prosaic setting in which to face two legends of pop.

The office furniture and fax machines are a reminder that they are not just a band, but an industry. Samsung, sponsors of their upcoming tour, have just handed them brand new smartphones and, whether they are hamming it up for the press or have just genuinely retained their sense of wonder about free stuff, they seem as delighted as kids on Christmas morning.

Mark caricatures the promo ritual that underlies why they are here, lifting up the phone to his face at various moments, saying, "Samsung," with a cheesy, salesman's grin.

As salesmen go, without even trying, they are pretty damn good. After all, their reunion tour broke records, selling out in just two days.

"You've interviewed us before," says Mark, as I sit down at the boardroom table, prompting in me an involuntary hot flush of delight at being remembered. After all, this man was my first celebrity crush.

Gary Barlow wears his age well. He's in good shape, and lines suit his chiselled face. After all that weight gain, weight loss and struggling with his image, there's a seemingly unshakeable surety to him now. He also does a nice line in arch self-parody. "If the headlines are: 'There should be more Gary,' which I think they will be," he says dryly, as he and Mark chat about what they are expecting from their upcoming tour, "I think then we'll just address it and move on."

Taking the piss has, for all of them, become a bit of a default response to all the drama. After all, there's no shortage of issues between these five men, individually and together. There's Robbie Williams's drug past, and fallout with the rest of the band; Howard Donald has a super-injunction to his name and Gary, the steady family man has owned up to overeating, depression and a rather controlling side. Then there's Mark, previously unimpeachable, who last year went into rehab following the revelations that he'd cheated on his wife with at least 10 different women. He owned up to philandering and alcoholism, did the obligatory modern penance of rehab, and was eventually accepted back home. Only Jason Orange seems to have been relatively unafflicted by personal scandal.

In this interview, then, although the personal demons are officially off-limits, even the boys themselves find it tricky to steer around them. Take Mark, for example, talking about how he's grown up recently.

"I think all the dads in the band, we adore being fathers. It's amazing," he says. "For me, I was carrying shit around me all the time, and what's come with being older and being able to take time to look at things and just becoming aware of myself a bit more. It's like, 'Oh, I don't need to carry that shit no more. I can wash that bit off or get rid of that.'"

One can sense, perhaps, the echo of conversations he might have had with his therapist during his time in rehab.

"Now," Mark goes on, "whether that's because I hit a point where I had to do that, because now obviously I've got kids and I don't want to give them my shit."

He's not saying the words exactly, but it's quite clear what he's talking about.

"I don't want to do that to my kids, so it's important for me personally to address things," he continues. "So when I feel something going on in a room, I'm now a bit more aware to go, 'Oh, that's my crap. That's not actually anything to do with what's being said here or what's going on there, that's stuff I'm trying to deal with myself.' So it's just trying to become a bit more aware of things. You can think about it too much. You can not sleep for months because you think about it too much. But it's really exciting as well, because you actually go, that's funny. The world that you are in, half of it you make yourself, really. You paint your own world and shape your own world."

He's off, there seems to be no stopping him. Gary's looking nonplussed, although he, too, must be wondering where this is going.

"You think that's how the world has to be, but then you actually see it doesn't," Mark continues. "I can paint that wall, and wash that one. That can be yellow instead of black. Or white."

Just before he becomes completely opaque, Gary, with a touch of gallantry, steps in. "Listen," he says, with a mock-levelling look. "We're a funny bunch. Individually."

"Mad," says Mark, righting himself.

"We tickle each other," says Gary, taking me rather by surprise. Hold on a second. They tickle each other? What, actual tickling?

"No, no, no," says Gary, deadpan. "That's the after show. That's after the show, that one."

Mark: "That would be fun, wouldn't it?"

Gary: "I'll tell you about that later, off the record."

Mark: "We used to, didn't we?"

They're both laughing now, creasing up at the idea of Take That post-show tickling sessions.

"I'm feeling like I need a tickle, everyone," say Gary. "Will someone tickle me?"

"Hugs are massively in, though," says Mark, a bit serious again. "It's really nice. Hugs are good."

"Yeah, the hugs are good," Gary agrees.

"The scene is a bit more warm. It could just be the fact that it's been sunny," Mark adds.

They both admit there's a lingering sense of romance about the band's reunion, now that they are back as a five-piece after all the years of bad blood and acrimony. They are still in the honeymoon phase of things.

"The average love affair lasts 18 months," says Gary, clearly the authority on matters of the heart.

"We are like kids, really," says Mark. "Because I can sense, we're kind of all a little bit excited, aren't we? About life, and the tour. There's an excitement. But, we don't want to show that we're excited. Some days you wanna run home and go 'Yeeeeeaaaaaaaah, it's brilliant!'"

"You know what," Gary adds. "This, where we are, one in 10 million people get to do this job. Just get to do it. But at this level, where we're at, playing in stadiums every night, it's just like, I want it to slow down, because we're here, and we're doing it right now. And it's like, this feeling I get at the end of every tour where I go, 'I wonder if that's the last one. I wonder if no one will come and see us next time.' There's always that. And I just think, 'Wow, we're here, right before it now.' We've got to enjoy it. It's got to be thoroughly enjoyed."

It's not hard to see where that new sense that it's all finite comes from. After all, these guys have stretched out their boyband run to an unprecedented degree. They are on borrowed time.

Feverish speculation still surrounds the issue of Robbie Williams. Is he back to stay?

"I think the place that we are at now, I think Rob is looking at, he's going to be doing something himself, hopefully in the next year," says Mark. "He has it in him, he wants to do his own thing and it's a massive part of him. So I think he'll be looking at doing his own stuff. And I think with the band, well, me and Rob were laughing that it's like a revolving door, anybody can come on and come and go as they please."

"Except for me. It wouldn't be the same without me," adds Gary. Of course, Gary. Always the lynchpin. He likes the description. "Write that down." He's joking, sort of. But there's a degree to which he knows it's true.

So the band is a moveable feast these days, but this seems to be the first time Gary has heard about it: "Jesus, oh Christ, we're going to have everybody knocking on our door."

Does that mean anyone can join? And if so, can I?

"Girls as well?" Gary protests, dashing my hopes. "This is a boyband! We can't have girls."

Maybe Mark is a softer touch out of the pair of them. "We have to mix it up," he says.

It is probably quite a healthy technique they have developed. Laughing and joking their way through the issues. Let's just hope they keep their sense of humour during their six months on the road.

"I have actually thought," says Mark, "things seem to be going quite well and quite easy, but I think maybe because we're a bit more experienced with it. And because the communication is better between us. When we are together in a room, it's always easier. It's hard when everybody is all over the shop, but we know that if on Sunday it all does kick off, on Monday we can all get in a room and we can probably sort something. Maybe a bit of experience and trying to work into it what every wants."

It is, to be fair, about time they got to this point.

"We're five adults with families and wives," says Gary, suddenly matter-of-fact, "and it's about considering everyone else when you do something. When you are in a band -- I think this has been the thing as well for Rob to get his head around, when you do something, it affects everyone else. So that's important to just keep in your mind. In the same way that when you are a father and a husband, you do consider everyone else when you are about to do something. It's the same with the band."

Does going on tour become harder now that they are dads and husbands?

"This is my first sober tour," says Mark, "so I'm quite looking forward to that. It'll be a whole different thing for me. Obviously I was always sober when I was on stage . . ."

"I don't think you'll like it," Gary breaks in, kidding again.

"I'm quite looking forward to it really," Mark goes on, ignoring him. "Because I used to come off stage and drink a bottle of wine. That was not good, really. I was always OK the next day, because I drank a lot of wine for a long time, so I was able to handle it, but I'm looking forward to doing a sober one. And," he says, holding up his new handset, "playing with my new Samsung phone!"

With that, a reminder of the big commercial circus built around these new bonds between the boys intrudes soberly into the room. But the feeling of goodwill lingers.

"There will be one disappointment for me when we get to the end of this," says Gary. "I don't feel like I've seen anyone for ages. I need more time with the boys. We need to talk more. We talk about all sorts of things when we are together, us lot. I need more. I've hardly seen anyone. I think they've all been avoiding me."

L

Take That Progress Live Tour 2011 is presented by Samsung Mobile

Exclusive Take That content is currently available on Samsung's Galaxy S, Ace and Mini through O2 stores nationwide

See samsung.com/ie or facebook.com/samsungmobileireland to win Dublin concert tickets and an exclusive backstage meet and greet with the band

Fuente: Independent.ie

Kelly Rowland en el concierto de Take That

Parece ser que Kelly, compañera de Gary en X factor, ha asistido al concierto de los chicos (invitada por Gary?) y ha quedado bastante sorprendida con el espectáculo.

Esto es Lo que decia en su twitter:


"@KELLYROWLAND: At the Take That concert to support my fellow judge Gary... IM LOVIN IT!! They definitely are the UK's most amazing boy band!!! (Well, men)"


Acaso Lo dudaba?! ;)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

When we were young

Barlow picked the Olympics ahead of X Factor

Creo que podemos dejar nuestras expectativas en cuanto a los JJOO.

Gary rechaza la ceremonia de los juegos olímpicos por participar en Factor X

It aimed to find a star to sing at the Games opening ceremony in London next year.

Chart-topper Gary, 40, was left disappointed when the show was vetoed by Olympics chiefs. It was only then that he agreed to become a judge on The X Factor's panel - pocketing a £1.5million pay packet.

Insiders said Gary was passionate about doing a show for the BBC because he is a big supporter of its public service credentials.

The series would have seen Gary auditioning wannabes from around the country to win a spot singing at the Olympic opening ceremony, which will be televised by the BBC and screened to billions around the world.

But sources said the show was shelved after Olympics chiefs said they would rather have big name stars perform at the showpiece event. An insider said: "Gary really wanted to do a show on the BBC as he believes in its public service mission.

"He loved the idea of finding an amazing unknown singer to appear at the opening ceremony in 2012.

"But Olympics chiefs made it known they wanted big name acts to perform instead and the show had to be pulled. It was only then that Gary turned to The X Factor and became the new Simon Cowell."

Gary has been a big hit on The X Factor auditions so far, giving no-nonsense advice to performers.

However, some acts have said he is too mean.

The heart-throb has said he is keen to help others get a career in music after the huge success he has enjoyed with Take That, who are currently performing to sell-out crowds on their nationwide tour.

He said: "I'm here to find the next generation of stars. There are so many youngsters out there with talent who need a platform like The X Factor to be noticed."

Found in The SUN

Take That Progressed Lyrics - Don't say goodbye

Don’t stay where you are not lovedThose people obscure the view
But if I’ve done my job
They won’t wanna mess with you

Finding some romances
A place where you exist
Live with your mother’ smile
But see you through daddy’s eyes

You might lose your dignity
But it’s not what it used to be

And don’t say goodbye to the world
Until you ‘ve loved somebody
Don’t say goodbye to the world
Until you’ve lived like kings and queens
I’ll be the first, the last thing that you see
But don’t say goodbye to me

Just listen to your heart
Not the voices in your head
Forget how it’d made you feel
But don’t forget what was said

Tears are words than we can touch
When words only say so much
Look out? what you’ve got
Then you’ll always have enough

You might lose your dignity
But look what its done for me

And don’t say goodbye to the world
Until you ‘ve loved somebody
Don’t say goodbye to the world
Until you’ve lived like kings and queens
I’ll be the first, the last thing that you see
But don’t say goodbye to me


And don’t say goodbye to the world
Until you ‘ve loved somebody
Don’t say goodbye to the world
Until you’ve lived like kings and queens
I’ll be the first, the last thing that you see
But don’t say goodbye to me

Gracias Renata por postear la letra en el foro

Take That Progressed Lyrics - MAN

Man
Complicated
Fractious
Twisted
Ego
Solicituos
Dissaponited
Curious
Blind
Tortured
Alive
Patient
Addicted
Fragile
Foolish
Man

Give it up too much
Give it up

Be gracious
Be thankful

Give it up too much
Give it up

Be honest
Be kind

We’re waiting for the universe
We’re waiting for the light to lead the way
Creating what we can’t reverse
Nothing will ever be the same again
You had it all, you had it all
You lost control and let it go again
We’re waiting for the universe to end

You much too strong for me
And I can’t hold your hand like I used to
You much too hard for me
And I can’t change your heart like I used to

And all that’s let to say to you
It’s to smile when the lights are on
This never was enough for you
Now we both know where we belong

Give it up too much
Give it up
I’ve never given this much to another, no, not to another lover
Give it up too much
Give it up
I’ve never given so much, never given so much, so much

We’re waiting for the universe
We’re waiting for the light to lead the way
Creating what we can’t reverse
Nothing will ever be the same again
You had it all, you had it all
you lost control and let it go again
We’re waiting for the universe to end

Goodbye, good night my love
Goodbye my love

Man
Complicated
Fractious
Twisted
Addicted
Fragile
Man

We’re waiting for the universe
We’re waiting for the light to lead the way
Creating what we can’t reverse
Nothing will ever be the same again
You had it all, you had it all
you lost control and let it go again
We’re waiting for the universe to end

We’re waiting for the universe to end

Gracias Renata por postear la letra en el foro

Blog For Good ¡También en Twitter!

Follow us! @TT_BlogForGood

and we'll follow back! :)

TT (best) dance crew

El show de nuestros chicos es espectacular, pero en gran parte lo es gracias a lo bien que lo hacen todos sus bailarines. Aquí hay una foto de grupo (publicada por @Adrian_Gas en twitter)

Les deseamos mucha suerte durante todo el tour y que ¡no les llueva mucho! que ya hemos leído en alguno de sus tweets que la lluvia se lo pone difícil...

Picture posted on yfrog by @Adrian_Gas http://yfrog.com/gzkiwdqj

Nuestra bandera ¡en el backstage!

Gracias a @Adrian Gas (TT dancer) por esta foto! Ha sido un subidón! Esperamos que la lleves contigo todo el tour y os de mucha suerte! Eso sí, cuéntanos cómo ha llegado ahí y quién la colgó!!

ps. nos encanta ver lo que hay detrás del escenario :)

Este tour nos está dando grandes momentos a todas las que hacemos Blog For Good: primero Jason cogió nuestra bandera "progress" en el concierto de Manchester, luego Gary se llevó nuestras zapatillas tuneadas y ahora vemos nuestra bandera bien posicionada en el backstage.

Qué más podemos pedir!

Link a la foto: http://yfrog.com/hshk5pgzj

Por cierto, Adrián sorteará en breve una gorra oficial del tour "progress" entre sus seguidoras españolas en twitter, no te olvides de añadirle a tus tweets! :)

Blog For Good ¡ahora también en tu móvil!

Nuestro Blog ya cuenta con su versión móvil, para que podáis verlo sin problemas desde cualquier teléfono móvil. ;)

Back for good - Manchester, 03/06/11

Pray - Manchester, 03/06/11

Take That - Progress live in Sunderland 2011

Anti-HoTT Progress 2011 - ManchesTTer

Nuestro Robbie de cada día

Nuestro Mark de cada día

Nuestro Gary de cada día

Nuestro Howard de cada día

Nuestro Jason de cada día

Howard Donald predicted stage prop trap

Take That star Howard Donald predicted he would get stuck inside the group's giant robot stage prop before it happened over the weekend.

Howard Donald predicted he would get stuck inside the Take That's giant robot stage prop.

The 'Love Love' singer and his bandmate Mark Owen were left stranded in the palms of the 30 metre robot torso and arms - nicknamed OM - as they performed at the City of Manchester stadium on their 'Progress Live' tour over the weekend and Howard said he feared it would happen from the star of the tour.

Bandmate Gary Barlow said: "With things like Om and the water in 'The Flood', you hope there's nothing too bad that can go wrong technically.

"It all worked out great in rehearsals but Howard was particularly worried we were going to be stuck there like lemons. He was right."

After getting stuck three metres from the ground, the singers had to be freed by roadies with ladders.

Gary also revealed the band - which also includes Robbie Williams and Jason Orange - are trying not to get too worried about playing eight shows at London's Wembley Stadium at the end of this month.

He added to the Daily Star newspaper: "It's a bit daunting if you think, 'Wow we're going to do Wembley eight times and play to 1.7 million people. I only look at what we're doing right now, like a football manager, taking one game at a time.

"The success of this tour is already amazing, more than any of us thought we could do. I always think, 'It can't get any bigger than this.'

"Maybe it won't, maybe this will be our biggest tour ever, but then I've always been proved wrong. It's best not to worry too much about that stuff to stop it overwhelming you."

Fuente: Contactmusic

Progress tour en la prensa

Prensa inglesa
The Guardian
BBC news (incluye video)
Mirror
MTV UK
DailyMail
SkyNews (incluye video)

Prensa española
ABC (incluye video)
Excite España

Progress tour 2011 - First night review

Robo pop
Stunning first night of Take That
Progress tour features 60ft man

TAKE THAT kicked off their record-breaking new tour in spectacular style last night - promising fans "the best show in the world".

And going by the sound of 54,000 people screaming before, during and after the gig, the most popular band in the country have delivered the goods yet again.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS, 38, joined his old bandmates on stage for a full set for the first time in 15 years at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

And the roar must have been heard for miles around when he took to the stage five songs into the first night of the sold out Progress Tour.

Choking back tears of pride, he said: "We have spent a lot of time and money on this show to make it the best in the world this year. And I'm very proud to be a part of it all again."

GARY BARLOW, 40, MARK OWEN, 38, JASON ORANGE, 40 and HOWARD DONALD, 42, set the bar extremely high two years ago with their epic Circus show.

Progress is not as good, folks... it is even better.

The last time they hit the road they had a gigantic mechanical elephant as the centrepiece of the production. And the lads have taken another step up in scale since then - introducing a giant 60ft mechanical man.

It is a staggering piece of kit, and a real symbol of the band's huge ambitions with this show.

The 1.75 million fans lucky enough to snap up a ticket to see them this summer are in for an incredible night.

No expense has been spared in the £15m production. It has everything - the greatest hits, a jaw-dropping set, amazing costumes, intricate choreography, stunning pyrotechnics and even a lesbian kiss for any reluctant husbands dragged along.

All the blokes who go along will be impressed by some of the death-defying stunts too. When I bumped into Gary afterwards, he joked: "Robbie has become the LEE MAJORS of this show. If any stunts need doing, dangling upside down or throwing himself from a great height - Rob's the man."

It's not often you see acrobats in wetsuits scaling an amazing wall of water the length and height of the stage. In fact, it's a world's first. You have to see it to believe it.

A total of 31 performers appear during the show with nine costume changes. The lads themselves have five different costumes including modified tracksuits lined with LEDs - "staying true to their northern roots" according to Mark afterwards.

A few eyebrows have been raised about how Robbie would slot into the set. When contracts were signed for the big comeback a deal was agreed for him to perform 40 minutes of solo material.

But his introduction with a handful of his greatest hits, including Let Me Entertain You, Feel and Angels, only added to the excitement of the occasion.

Robbie has talked about nerves and crippling stage fright, but as soon as he took to the stage, the old show pony came out. He was loving every minute.

All his trademark dance moves, cheek and charm were back on show.

He immediately won over any cynics with some warm words for the crowd, a gag about the dodgy weather and a brilliant ad-lib song about superinjunctions.

And he even poked fun at his own ego as he was pulled across the stage on a chariot by a gang of gorgeous, roller-skating dancers wearing tiny hotpants.

The loudest cheer of the night came when the band finally appeared on stage as a five-piece again.

It was a spine-tingling moment as they performed The Flood, their first single to hit the charts when they got back together.

For all the fans from the first time round, the medley of their biggest hits is priceless. Robbie and Gary doing the famous dance routine during Pray was a special moment - especially when an out-of-breath Gary asked Robbie to adjust his sports bra for him afterwards.

The dance off between Jason and Howard during recent single Kidz was seriously impressive for two men the wrong side of 40.

But the real beauty of the show is that all five members had their chance to shine in equal measure - with no-one stealing the show.

The encore was an emotional moment with an impromptu group hug - probably the first of many over the coming months.

Speaking in the dressing room after, Mark told The Sun: "It's a proud moment for us all getting up there again together. We forget because we have been hanging around so much together, but the fact that all five of us are up there again is a brilliant thing. We just can't wait to get out there for the next two months.

"Then who knows what will happen?"

It was a tall order improving on Circus, but the band have succeeded. You won't hear many complaints if they decided to do it all again in two years time.

It'll just be the noise of a stampede for more tickets.

ROBBIE ad-libbed a song about the biggest topic of the day - super-injuctions.

He poked fun at the rich and famous hiding behind gagging orders.

The crowd roared as he sang: "Loads of Mackems, loads of Geordies there could be a fight on opening night.

"I've just done some coke and I've sh***ed a wh*** that's what a super-injunction is for. Peter Reid has a monkey's heed, you could be a Mackem lass and p*** on the floor. It's opening night."

The tune was song Opening Night from musical The Producers.

TAKE THAT'S full line-up joined Robbie on stage as he performed his solo hit No Regrets - a song Rob wrote about his decision to quit the band back in 1995.

In the most poignant part of the show, he belted out the track with Mark, Howard, Jason and Gary.

It was the only time the other four sang on one of Rob's solo hits.

Since being reconciled with the band, he has frequently changed the line "I guess the love we once had is officially dead" to "I guess the love we once had is officially alive".

Fuente: The Sun

Barlow's bingo on tour

GARY BARLOW has been getting his balls out backstage on the huge TAKE THAT tour.

The singer hosts bingo nights to entertain the tour crew before and after gigs.

He's no novice either. Gaz knows all the bingo calls and puts on a decent show.

Gary said: "I used to be a bingo caller when I was first starting out.

"I used to love reading out the numbers. We have bingo nights backstage on the Take That tour to help everyone relax. We call it Barlow's Bingo."

Gary has a long-standing love of bingo and dug out his dabbers for the tenth anniversary of his wedding to wife Dawn last year.

He uses his own kit, which includes his own bingo machine, paper and dabbers and goes for it when he's doing his bingo calls - like the professionals.

The Take That star is a popular man with his crew and not just because of his evening entertainment.

He bought the 160 staff who have joined the band on the road a Samsung tablet computer each.

A source said: "Gary is a generous man and wanted to show his appreciation for all their hard work.

"It cost him a few bob but it was worth it after seeing the looks on the crew members' faces.

"He's well into his technology and has said he's on hand to help with any queries about using the device."

Yesterday Gary was on a break from the tour, filming a second day of auditions in Birmingham in his new role as an X Factor judge.

And he hadn't had to wait long to hear one of his own songs being performed by a contestant.

Gary said: "It was quite strange on day one to hear one of my songs - The Flood - being sung.

"But it's also very flattering and I guess I'll hear them sung in different ways and by different voices through the run."

Hopefully he won't be fed up with hearing them come the finals in December...

Fuente: The Sun

Actualización del blog de Robbie con fotos del "evento" aquí

Promoción de X-men: Entrevista a Gary, Howard y Jason

A familiar venue for star-studded film junkets, The Dorchester hotel has still never seen anything like the launch of X-Men: First Class. In a lavish suite on the first floor, Robbie Williams is patiently explaining to a journalist why his superhero alter-ego would be an invisible flying onanist with the name "Wankneto". Next door, Mark Owen is discussing how the country's biggest man-band came to soundtrack Matthew Vaughn's Sixties-set superhero prequel. Thankfully, GQ.com had an audience with the members who seemed most excited about the whole surreal enterprise: Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald. Here they discuss celluloid inspiration, Mad Men and what we can expect from the biggest pop tour of the year...

So which of you was most excited about appearing on an X-Men soundtrack?
Gary: That's me. I used to live next door to someone who had all the Marvel comics. We used to go into his bedroom and read them all. I've got a ten-year-old son who has never been interested in comics, but I thought it was a brilliant part of growing up - imagining the explosions in your head. I've always loved the X-Men movies and I'm quite into sci-fi actually. When the chance came up to do it, I more or less dragged everyone to the screening. They all loved it though.

Which film soundtracks do you admire?
Howard: I loved the original Tron. I've not seen the new one but I like Daft Punk.
Jason: The Chemical Brothers have just done the score for Hanna- I bet that's good.
Gary: Tedious link here, but we were most interested hearing the score for First Class. Matthew had originally said, "Think John Barry, think the Sixties," but we'd made this piece of music that was nothing like the Sixties - or John Barry! But then we went to see Henry Jackman, the guy who was doing the score, at Hans Zimmer's studios. We were dreading hearing all this Sixties stuff - but there was none of it. We knew it was going to be fine then. It's more synth-led then orchestral. We felt pretty safe handing it in knowing that the goal was it sounding futuristic.

Which character in the film did you think was the most stylish?
Gary: I thought January Jones [as Emma Frost] wore some lovely garments of clothing. Only about two? Well, they're the right two.
Jason: I thought Jason Flemyng [as Azrael] looked the dog's bollocks. He looked frightening! Intimidating!

GQ Style's Luke Day [the band's stylist] told me that you wore custom-made Mugler breastplates for the National Movie Awards. What do you think of Nicola Formchetti's work for the label?
Howard: I didn't even know I was wearing Mugler! I didn't want to wear [the breastplate] but for the video it looked absolutely brilliant. It worked a treat for First Class.
Gary: I've got to be honest, fashion is a bit wasted on me. Even when I wear it. Mark's more into the fashion - he'll cut things out of magazines and bring them in.

The First Class sequels are going to be set in the Seventies and Eighties respectively. Fancy soundtracking them as well?
Gary: Is that what they're doing? Sixties/Seventies/Eighties? Wow.
Jason: Clever that! But "Love Love" isn't Sixties - it's perfect for the Progressed album as well.

Were you at all disappointed that you didn't get the song into the strip club scene?
Gary: We wrote it for the end. Matthew said that to us that they were running our song after the line about Magneto.
Howard: We played the trailer for First Class on YouTube, turned down the music and pumped up "Love Love" and we thought it was great with everything that was going on: all the bombs, the missiles and the helmets. That Gnarls Barkley song works really well in the strip club.
Gary: It's the only way of working with pictures - they won't let anything out of the studio.
Jason: I know what you mean though - it's cheeky to have in your music in a classic film in a classic scene. That's a memorable scene in the sex club. I love the fact we've had "Back For Good" in The Office and "Never Forget" in Shameless - which are my favourite programmes.

What films did you used to watch on the bus when you first started touring?
Gary: Three In A Bed. Erm…
Jason: You talking porn? [laughs] That tells you how much Gaz watches porn - it tends to be a bit more explicit than a ménage à trois. That's a bit too polite.
Howard: Snow Sluts 3.

Not a patch on Snow Sluts 2. That's a classic.
Gary: There's no comparison. And no, I don't know who did the score... [laughs] What did we used to watch?
Jason: Robbie and Mark dominated the TV back in those days playing their silly little boy computer games.
Howard: I'm a big fan of Star Wars, me. With First Class it works better for me than when they made the Star Wars prequel with Jar Jar Binks.

Matthew Vaughn said he wanted Magneto to be " James Bond with superpowers". Fancy doing a Bond theme?
Jason: If we were asked we'd be flipping all over it!
Gary: Our fans did a petition for us to do Quantum Of Solace, the one Jack White did with Alicia Keys. His was great - one of the best. I know the guy who does the Bond music, David Arnold, and he said to me, "Will you tell all your fans to f*** off?" He had a thousand petition notes in his inbox and he was really annoyed. A Bond theme is a great one to do, isn't it? It's the ultimate.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse told me that when he went to Matthew Vaughn's house, he was seated next to Robert De Niro. Did any of you have a similarly awkward encounter?
Gary: To be honest, we've been to his house a couple of times because we did Stardust with him, but he's based in LA at the moment. I think he's still editing the movie tonight. We saw him out there and he was -
Howard: Stressed! And full of flu.
Jason: I can't see past Matthew's wife [Claudia Schiffer], never mind any other guest in the room. I'd be like, "Robert De Niro who?" [laughs]

Given the setting of First Class and the fact that it stars January Jones, are you big Mad Men fans?
Howard: Nope.
Gary: You've never seen it? You got to watch that. It's set in a similar era.
Howard: Is that the one with superpowers?
Gary: No, it's set in an advertising company in America. I'm a big Mad Men fan - so that's why getting involved with this is a double whammy.
Jason: Is it the birth of advertising? Is that the premise?

It's basically lots of people wandering around smoking cigarettes in great suits...
Gary: And drinking all day in the office. It's just amazing.
Jason: Mad in it? Clever.

The Pet Shop Boys are supporting you on tour. Has Neil Tennant given his verdict on the new song yet?
Jason: I went to watch a show that they did - a ballet - and I met them when they'd just signed up to do our tour. I was trying to say thanks and to show my gratitude but I was surprised how chuffed and excited they are. I know it's a coup for us. We're as grateful as anything.

Given that you've ridden an elephant into a stadium, would you say you're comfortable working with the surreal and the spectacular?
Howard: Yeah, we like a bit of that!
Gary: For a tour though, you do step into another world, becoming people's entertainment for the evening. It's got to be spectacular and fairytale-like. We seem to do it quite naturally now. This is a massive week for us. This will undoubtedly be our biggest tour ever. It has come all the way round to the beginning again - all five of us are going to be up there. It's just beautiful, really beautiful. I know we're going to remember it for the rest of our lives.
Fuente: GQ